Stay With Me
by lovecamedown
Summary: JanaxAran. 'Jana's scarlet red hair was messy and her eyes looked so lost and distant that it made Aran want to cry too. He hated seeing his Alpha so heartbroken. "I am not leaving you, Jana," Aran assured her, his voice still rough but gentle. "I'm trying to help."' - Extended/alternative ending to the Arana scene at the end of 3.05. – Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Wolfblood.

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Jana rolled over in what was now, officially, her bed. She was totally unable to get to sleep; she couldn't believe what had happened a few hours ago. To find out that she no longer had a pack, or authority, or even anything to live for was just awful – her worst nightmare – and now she didn't know what to do with herself. She didn't even know what the point in sleeping was anymore; it wasn't like she had anything to do in life.

Her heart was breaking.

Just as she rolled over again frustratedly, there was a tentative knock at her door.

Sitting up on her elbow and looking to the door, Jana's face straightened out when she caught scent of Aran.

Aran came in a few seconds later and shut the door quietly behind him, his body merely a shadow in the darkness of the room.  
But as he approached where Jana was lying in her bed, his face came in to the moonlight shining through the open window and Jana watched as he knelt down beside her bed.

Hesitantly, Aran reached out and took her hand in both of his, squeezing it tightly. He couldn't quite look her in the eyes just yet.

"My sister's betrayal has tainted me," he said in to the silence, his voice low and husky. Finally, he looked up at her, but it was only for a passing second as he spoke. "I must find her, and call her to account for her crimes."

"I don't ask you to do that." Jana looked his face all over, taking in the wrinkles in his forehead, the look of fear and sadness in his familiar green eyes.

Aran shook his head very slightly and then bowed it for a moment, giving her hands a squeeze. "I must do so all the same." He stood up, turning his back to her and letting go of her hand.

Panic ran through Jana. Aran couldn't leave. She didn't _want _him to leave. In fact, the very thought of him leaving made her eyes fill with fear and sadness just like his and she sat up straighter.

"Wait until morning," she said hastily. Thankfully, he stopped in his tracks. "We'll talk then."

Aran turned to face her again. His eyes slowly made their way up from the floor to her, and when he saw the look of fear in her eyes, his forehead wrinkled even more.

"I have a hard trail to find," he said lowly, his head bowed but his eyes still looking in to hers.

Jana inhaled a sharp breath. Tears stung the backs of her eyes. She couldn't lose Aran on top of the rest of her pack.

Aran was just about to speak. But then he saw Jana swallow, and her eyes glass over, and her forehead wrinkle in fear. His frown intensified and he looked Jana's all too familiar face all over, taking a small step towards her again.

"Jana, what's wrong?" He asked, his voice quieter now.

Jana inhaled another sharp breath, pulling her lips together briefly to try and ward off the tears that were threatening to fall. She was over-emotional already after what had happened that day, and she didn't need this right now. She couldn't let Aran just walk away. She couldn't handle it.  
Jana had become used to having him around and having another thing change would surely tip the balance. She had told him to stay or go as he pleased, but she had hoped he would choose to stay. In fact, she'd just _assumed _he would stay.

And when she spoke, her voice was quiet and strained.  
"My pack has just betrayed me," she said, the tears brimming right on the edges of her eyes now so that if she were to blink just once, they would fall. Instead, she kept her eyes wide; vulnerable. "You cannot go. You just can't. I just lost my pack, Aran…I can't lose you too…" she whispered her last sentence and that was when she blinked and fat, salty tears began to rush down her dirtied cheeks uncontrollably. Her lip trembled ever so slightly.

It killed Aran to see her crying – to see her hurting so much – but he didn't step forward. He was almost too scared to; she looked so fragile and delicate that he didn't want to make things worse. He didn't really know how to make her feel better.… Yet that was still all he wanted to do. It was all that mattered to him now; to make things better for Jana when she was hurting.

"That is why I must find Meinir. She should not have betrayed you…"

"That's not the point," Jana tried to make her voice sound strong, but it came out as more of a sob because everything was coming down on top of her and she didn't have the strength to hold everything together on her own.  
She brought her hand up to wipe her nose, and she wasn't looking at him anymore because she was crying properly now and Aran was just standing there, watching.

He felt helpless.

"What _is_ the point, Jana?" Aran asked, his voice soft and gentle.

"I don't want you to go," Jana admitted quietly. "I don't want you to leave me on top of everyone else."

Aran finally – _finally _– stepped towards her again and gingerly knelt by her bed like he had done minutes ago. He reached out and hesitantly took her hand, looking her face all over once more. Her scarlet red hair was messy and he could tell she had been tossing and turning in bed, and her eyes looked so lost and distant that it made him want to cry too. He hated seeing his Alpha so heartbroken.

"I am not leaving you, Jana," Aran assured her, his voice still rough but gentle. "I'm trying to help."

Jana was still looking down at the bed covers in front of her. "I need you here with me. To help me."

"You do not need my help, Jana. You are a strong Alpha."

"Okay, then I _want _you here."

Aran's frown deepened and he shuffled in his spot so he was more comfortable. "I cannot stay here."

"Why not? Because you want to find Meinir, or because you want any excuse to get out of the human world?" She snapped, turning her harsh gaze to him. Things were too much for her right now and maybe she shouldn't have snapped, but her point was still valid. Aran had always feared the human way of living.

Aran hesitated before he spoke again. He was looking her in the eyes now and he squeezed her hand once more.

"I may not love the human world, Jana," he started, his husky voice tiny, "but I…I love _you _enough to stay here.… For you. I have stayed here all these weeks for you…"

"But argued with me the whole time," Jana pointed out.

Aran bowed his head sheepishly for a moment. "You are right, and I am sorry for that. But now, my real reason for leaving is to find my sister and call her to account for her crimes, like I said."

Jana took a deep breath, the tears subsiding a little now. "I just don't want you to go."

"I don't want to leave you either, Jana. But this is something I have to do."

Aran's head was bowed, his eyes on their joined hands, and he still wasn't looking at her.

But she was looking at him.

She was taking in every inch of his face; both all the features she knew far too well and all the features she was just now noticing. How his eyes somehow still stood out to her in the darkness of her bedroom, even though they were not glowing yellow; they were his natural green colour. She took in the wrinkles that were still etched in to his forehead, and she took in the way his warm hands were still clasping around hers (his hands were always so warm. _Always_.)

When his eyes came back up to meet hers, he was slightly startled upon realising she was looking at him.

"Promise me," Jana started, her voice quiet and tiny, "that you will come back."

Aran didn't respond at first. He looked in to her eyes, noticing how they had become glassy again and feeling how her hand was shaking slightly in his.

And then Jana removed her hand, taking his now instead and bringing it slowly up so that it was sitting on her chest where her heart lay. Aran's hearing tuned in to her heartbeat and it made him feel at home.

"Please." She whispered, his hand now firmly over her heart.

Aran lifted his head, inhaling a deep breath and wrinkling his nose slightly. His eyes were still locked on to hers. "I will return," he finally replied. Jana smiled very slightly through the impending tears. She let his hand come back down again so that it was sitting on her lap.

"You will?" She clarified.

Aran bowed his head in acknowledgement. "I will."

Jana smiled wider now, showing her teeth. As she squeezed his hand, he leaned forward and left a very soft and tentative kiss on her forehead. Although it was hesitant, it wasn't quick. His lips lingered for a moment and then pulled away, looking her in the eyes and holding her hands tighter.

And then he stood up and headed for the door. Jana watched his every move. Even though he had told her that he would return – and she trusted that he would keep his word; he always did – she still didn't like to see him go.  
But the tears had stopped threatening to fall now and she felt a little more at peace about it; about watching him leave.

Once the door was open, he turned back to Jana and his face was serious. So serious – so sincere – that it made Jana's face straighten out too.

"Stay well, and _happy_, Jana," he said, his voice cutting through the silence roughly and familiarly. Jana's lip quivered ever so slightly, and Aran noticed. "You will always be my Alpha."

He bowed his head to her one last time.

And then he turned around again, and Jana watched as he walked away, letting the door shut quietly behind him.

She trusted that he would return.

And, weeks later when Jana and the rest of the Wolfbloods around her had to hide from Segolia, he did. He returned. Just like he said and just like she knew he would.

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**A/N: **_Hi friends!_

_ Another Arana fic, of course. I watched this scene the other day (not gonna lie, I watch the scene quite frequently bcus FEELS.) and decided that I would've loved it longer because I'm an Arana mess, and so here's what I thought could have happened. Jana had just lost her pack and I do think that if the scene had been longer, she would've acted more scared because on top of her whole pack leaving her, I don't think she'd have wanted Aran to leave too. So yeah. Here it is! :) _

_Hope you guys enjoyed it! Do let me know what you think in a review :) _

_Love :* xxx_

**_UPDATE: _**_Thank you wolf200loggedout for pointing out the typo in the original summary for this! I wrote 3.06 by accident when it should've said 3.05. So...thank you! :D_


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